Finches and winter thrushes often form flocks during the winter to look for and improve their chances of finding food. A wander through woodland might find you surrounded by blue, great, coal and long-tailed tits, goldcrests, wrens or chaffinches – or a classic winter flock of siskins, lesser redpolls and goldfinches, all hungrily diving and feeding in one small area.

Look out for some less likely candidates amongst the crowd – treecreepers, woodpeckers, marsh tits or even the occasional firecrest can occasionally be spotted taking advantage of the feast. Alternatively, if you ramble across the stubbly winter fields you might spot buntings and linnets playing in the cold winter sun – occasionally accompanied by redwing and fieldfares.

Stoats are easily misidentified as a weasel at a glance, but are actually much larger – 30 cm or more from nose to tail. Although they have the same colouring as weasels, stoats have a longer tail, which always has a black “paint brush” tip. Like weasels, stoats can be active during the day, particularly when hunting for rabbits and voles: they are feisty and will attempt to hunt animals that are three times their size.

They inhabit a wide range of habitats, from woodland to moorland, or even hedgerows. But, like weasels, stoats love areas with old drystone walls and mounds of rocks, which provide good cover for them and the prey they need to hunt to survive.

Snow buntings are a sparrow-sized bird that breeds further north than any other small bird in the world, preferring the arctic conditions of Canada and Scandinavia. They build their nests in rock crevices on bare mountain slopes or rocky shores, and are largely found on the coast or in Scotland – so the small population that can be found near the summit of Ingleborough are very unusual indeed. When they fly, snow buntings look black and white, with white patches on the wings and black wingtips, and when they walk, they often crouch a little so that their feathers cover part of their legs - an adaptation to prevent heat loss!

Red squirrels are still a relatively uncommon sight in the Yorkshire Dales, but a small population are slowly starting to make a comeback near Hawes. Their smaller frame, ear tufts and distinctive russet colour set them easily aside from their grey squirrel cousins, and are often – although not always – spotted in conifer woodland. Red squirrels do not hibernate, but they do keep stores of food to see them through difficult times when fresh food is not available – particularly enjoying hazelnuts once they’ve cracked the shell.